The Trip
Sakshi was busy ironing Sushma’s uniform when her phone rang. She heard Raghav answer the call.
“Sakshi, your friend Nina wants to speak to you.” He brought the phone to her.
She mouthed thank you as Raghav took over the ironing. Walking away she spoke “Hi Nina, what’s up? What? You guys are planning a trip? Where? When? Can I call you back Nina? Give me about 5 minutes, yeah I will, bye.”
“What was all that about Shaku?”
“You know Nina right, when she plans something, she plans it big. She and all our other classmates are planning a 15 days trip to Rajasthan next month for a get together of our batch. She’s been planning this for the last two years but someone or the other couldn’t make it and now looks like everyone is going. I want to go too.” Biting her lip Sakshi looked at Raghav.
“Who’ll take care of everything in your absence? What to do Sakshi? unlike others, we don’t have anyone to hold the fort in your absence” Raghav gave her hand a squeeze.
Typical! What else will he say?
“I have decided to go Raghav, I didn’t confirm right away to Nina because I wanted to discuss it with you first. I guess no discussion is required after all. I am sure you can handle everything in my absence.”
She picked up her phone. “Nina, I am coming. Talk later, bye.”
“There that’s done. Stop looking like a storm has hit you Raghav, like you always say, running a house is easy peasy. I am sure you’ll do an even better job than me.”
Raghav maintained a stony silence and Sakshi chose to ignore him. After he had left with their daughter she sat down for a while and reflected on her marriage.
Theirs wasn’t a bad marriage. Raghav was a decent human being. His only sin, he was a workaholic and expected everyone to be the same. In the ten years that they had been married they had been on a short holiday only once. To her disgust, he had chosen to spend the entire time in the hotel room watching TV while she went out sightseeing.
At that point she had decided that if travel was on the anvil, either she would go solo or with friends. Neither had happened as Sushma had come along and there had never been an opportunity. Now it had come and she was not going to let him stop her. She still regretted missing out on her best friend’s wedding eight years ago. His mother had chosen to visit them and he had begged her not to go and she had cancelled her trip. She had given up a wonderful time with her friends for two weeks of sheer misery putting up with his mother’s ceaseless demands!
She knew he would manage.
This time I am going come what may, I have a life to live and live it I must!
Penmancy gets a small share of every purchase you make through these links, and every little helps us continue bringing you the reads you love!